


Your Love is Strong

by tale_to_tell



Series: Destiel deserves better [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: (mentioned) - Freeform, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parent John Winchester, Blood, Brotherly Love, Canon Universe, Case Fic, Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Castiel Takes Care of Dean Winchester, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Cute Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Fluff and Angst, Ghosts, Good Sibling Sam Winchester, Happy Ending, Homophobic John Winchester, Hurt Dean Winchester, Implied Sexual Content, Injured Dean Winchester, Injury, Internalized Homophobia, Jealous Castiel (Supernatural), John Winchester is not actually in this fic but I don't like him, M/M, Major Character Injury, Monster of the Week, Possessive Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Sam Winchester, Sam Winchester Knows, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester is So Done, Sort Of, Worried Castiel (Supernatural), Worried Sam Winchester, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21655012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tale_to_tell/pseuds/tale_to_tell
Summary: Sam knew. Honesty, it was impossible not to know. Dean and Cas were always brushing shoulders and sharing sickeningly sweet smiles. There was also so much eye-fucking. God, it was disgusting how in love they were. At first, Sam wondered when they were going to figure it out for themselves, but now he just wondered if they would figure it out at all. It had been years. God, Dean was so stupid sometimes. A "Profound bond," could you be anymore obvious than that? Dean was either super oblivious or just an idiot. Probably both. Definitely both.What Sam didn't know, however, was that Dean and Cas were already aware of their feelings for one another and in a relationship. They were just trying to figure out how to tell him. Apparently, a terrible injury on a hunt is what would ultimately reveal their relationship to Sam, just not in the way any of them would have wanted.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Series: Destiel deserves better [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559521
Comments: 8
Kudos: 520





	1. Your Love is Strong

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own supernatural, tragically

Sam had never wanted to die so badly before. He was just going to have to kill himself, he was beginning to think that was the only way out of this hellhole. The "hellhole" he referred to was the awkward third wheel position he held in Dean and Cas's relationship. There was so much fucking sexual tension that if Sam didn't die from overexposure he would have to kill himself. It was sickening, God.

Sam glared across the table at Dean and Cas, who were currently making heart-eyes at one another (really, even eye sex would have been better than their stupid, overly sweet love). Castiel had made some joke, a really bad on in Sam's opinion (not that anyone cared or asked, thanks a lot), and Dean had laughed like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. Sam hated his brother sometimes. Of course, Cas's face had lit up like a frickin Christmas tree and Sam hated his life just a little bit more. It was so obvious how much they loved each other. They were always getting up in each other's faces and looking at each other's lips and "casually" touching one another and Sam was starting to lose his mind. If he had to witness one more romantic moment between the two he would really go drown himself in a river, God help him.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Dean snarked from across the table, _finally_ taking his eyes off Cas for one fucking second.

"Nothing." Sam grumbled. This was partially his fault, to be honest. He could just tell the idiots that they loved each other and be done with it. Of course, if he did that he risked becoming the middle man in the "Are you sure? There's no way he likes _me_ , Sam, you must be wrong." and "Shut the fuck up, Sammy. I'm not in the mood for your games." conversations that would 100 percent happen after. There was no escape for Sam, none at all.

"Sam, you are looking upset." Castiel said, frowning. "Are you feeling well?"

"Perfectly fine." Sam answered, trying to sound neutral. If those two idiots would admit their feelings for one another already then they could all move on with their lives. Though, Sam had to admit it was nice to not have to worry about witnessing anything unsavory between the two by walking in to a room unannounced. Sam grimaced. That would almost be worse than what Sam had to deal with now. _Almost_. Sam had already walked in on Dean with some girl plenty of times, so really it wouldn't make much of a difference if he were with Cas. Cas would probably convince Dean to be more careful, too. Fingers crossed.

"Sam, Dean and I are planning on watching a movie." Castiel said. "Would you like to join us?" God, as if Sam would willingly subject himself to more torment.

"No thanks, Cas." He answered. "I'm going to try to look for a case."

"You sure, Sammy?" Dean asked. "We're going to watch Die Hard." Sam rolled his eyes.

"You always watch Die Hard."

"So what," Dean shrugged, "it's a good movie. You could use some culture." Sam could not suppress his scoff. Dean lecturing _him_ on culture was absolutely ridiculous.

"I'll pass, dude, but thanks for the invite." Sam said. He stood up to take his plate back to the kitchen. "Have fun cuddling on the couch." Sam actually had not intended to say that, but really, who could blame him? Both Dean and Cas flushed, but neither denied it. Huh. Sam paused. Maybe they finally were coming to realize their feelings. Sam could only hope.

He took his brother's and the angel's plates and utensils too. Anything he could do to avoid them and their stupid love. He washed the dishes slowly, waiting for Dean and Cas to vacate the room. After what felt like ages ~~two minutes~~ , they finally went to Dean's stupid man cave. Sam could practically feel the room pressure decrease with the absence of their sexual tension. Sam's life sucked.

Afterwards, Sam went to the library to be productive. They hadn't had a case for a couple of weeks and now he was getting restless. It didn't take long for him to find one. He read over the articles a bit before deciding it was likely a ghost.

Sam headed for Dean's man cave. He opened the door, without knocking, and walked inside. Sam paused because Dean and Cas were sitting abnormally close, but then he realized Dean had merely dozed off and Cas was letting Dean borrow his shoulder. Castiel looked away from the TV when Sam entered.

"He fell asleep during Die Hard?" Sam asked, gesturing to his brother and raising his eyebrows. Castiel glanced down at Dean, eyes softening (God, someone rescue Sam from this hell) and then looked back up to Sam.

"He hasn't been getting a lot of sleep lately." Cas said, voice quiet. That surprised Sam a bit. It was unusual for Dean to admit to being tired, so Sam was actually somewhat impressed he'd told Cas he hadn't been sleeping much.

"Nightmares?" Sam asked knowingly. In their line of work it was impossible to not get nightmares. A sheepish look crossed Cas's face, one Sam could not decipher.

"Something like that." He mumbled evasively, looking away. Sam could have sworn his cheeks flushed.

"Okay," Sam said slowly, bewildered, "well, I have a case." Cas sighed and nodded, then he shook his shoulder slightly.

"Hmm?" Dean hummed, eyes still closed.

"Dean," Cas said softly, lovingly, and Sam barely refrained from throwing up, "Dean, Sam has a case for us." Thankfully, that seemed to wake Dean up. He sat up straight and stretched.

"Lay it on me, Sammy." He grumbled.

"Several men have been killed." Sam started, coming around to sit on the couch with them. "They all went out to unknown locations and were found dead the next morning. They had all been stabbed several times and left to bleed out, but first they had been beaten, likely with some sort of baton, and then castrated." Sam grimaced at that. "I think it's a ghost."

"Where?" Cas asked. Sam looked back at his computer.

"Some small town in Texas named Wimberley." He answered. "It's about 12 hours away." Dean and Castiel nodded, looking pensive.

"We should probably head out now." Dean decided. "I've got most of my stuff packed already."

"So do I." Sam replied. Castiel did not have stuff to bring.

"Okay," Dean stood and sighed, "20 minutes and then we head out." Sam murmured his agreement and left to get his dufflebag. 12 hours cramped in a car, dealing with more of Dean and Cas's shit. Yay for Sam.

Sam had called shotgun, there was no was he would be forced to sit in the back of the Impala and witness the impossibly slow burn between Dean and Cas. Cas didn't argue, though Dean shot him a bitter look. Sam didn't care. He already dealt with so much.

The start of their 12 hour drive was quiet, even with Dean's music playing. Sam busied himself on his laptop, but honestly there wasn't much to do now that their lives weren't in constant danger and the world wasn't going to end. Even Cas looked bored. It was like they were all addicted to war, or something. That wasn't a pleasant thought.

They arrived in Wimberley at almost one in the morning, and Sam was exhausted. The motel was crappy, obviously. The room was tiny, the decor was dreadful, and Sam was _certain_ those sheets should not be trusted. Unfortunately, beggars couldn't be choosers. At least there were two beds and a chair for Cas.

* * * * *

Sam studied the body in front of him, looking for any hints. Besides the castration, it was a very unremarkable murder. There didn't seem to be any ties between the victims either, other than that they were all male.

"It's a damn shame," the medical examiner sighed, "he was a good kid. Who the hell would want to hurt him?" This latest victim, Matthew Johnson, had been only twenty-one. He'd been a near perfect student and then an upstanding citizen, according to the everyone they talked to.

"I think we're done for now. Thank you for your time." Sam said. The medical examiner nodded, still staring somberly down at the boy.

Sam, Dean, and Cas all walked out of the morgue. It was just past noon and their day had still been mostly unproductive.

"Excuse me, Agents?" All three turned to see an older woman walking slowly towards them. "Are you here because of Matthew Johnson."

"Yes, ma'am." Cas answered politely. "For the others, as well." The old woman nodded.

"Poor things." She said. "Such an awful way to go."

"Quite unfortunate." Sam agreed, feeling more than a little impatient. They had no time for gossipy old women. One look at Dean's face showed that the feeling was mutual.

"Terrible what happened to them," the woman continued, "all of them were kind souls." Here she looked around and then leaned forward conspiringly. "Although I did hear that the Johnson boy was off in the head, if you catch my drift." Sam frowned in confusion.

"He was intellectually disabled?" He asked. There hadn't been any reports of that. The woman shook her head.

"The other kind." She said, as if that explained everything.

At their continued looks of confusion she continued, "He was awfully close to his male friends." Besides Sam, Dean stiffened and Castiel's expression hardened.

"He was gay?" Sam questioned. The woman pursued her lips and nodded.

"A friend of mine saw him enter the Blue Barrel." She said, lip curling in disgust. "Such an awful place."

"What's the Blue Barrel?" Castiel asked, tone cold. The woman did not notice.

"It's where they all go." She explained, pausing. "His parents are the sweetest, so we haven't told anyone for their sakes. I just thought you might want to know, maybe it'll help." The woman looked at them expectantly.

"It will," Sam said, "thank you for the information." The woman smiled, pleased, and began to hobble off. Sam, Dean, and Cas remained standing on the sidewalk.

"Maybe they were all gay?" Dean finally suggested, looking very uncomfortable.

"So we're looking for a homophobic ghost." Sam mused, scratching his chin. "If they were all closeted it would explain why we haven't found a connection, and why no one knew where they were going. They probably went to the gay bar in secret." There was a beat of silence.

"I suppose we should visit the establishment now." Cas said, glancing at Dean.

"Yeah," Dean roughly agreed. "Let's go." Sam and Cas followed him to the Impala, Sam taking the front seat again. The drive to the bar was silent and tense.

The bar was mostly empty when they entered. The bartender raised an eyebrow at their entrance, probably judging their professional clothing.

"What can I do for y'all?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

"We're Agents Page, Plant, and Moscone." Dean introduced, gesturing to himself, Sam, and then Cas. "We have a few questions." The bartender shifted.

"Shoot." He said.

"Have you see this man?" Castiel asked, showing the bartender a picture of Matthew Johnson. The bartender studied it for only a second before looking up at them.

"Yeah, I know him." He said. "Why?"

"He was murdered two nights ago." Sam said bluntly. The bartender stared at him.

"Well shit." He said, glancing back down at the picture. "Poor dude."

"There are some others we would like you to look at." Dean said, passing over the photos of the other victims. The bartender looked through all of them, becoming more and more shocked as he continued.

"I've seen 'em all." He said gruffly. "They were all murdered?"

"Yes," Sam answered, "have they all visited this establishment?"

"Hell," the bartender said, "they're all regulars."

"Sir," Castiel began delicately, "were they all homosexuals?" The man's eyes hardened.

"We don't judge," Sam said quickly, "we believe it's relative to the case." The bartender stared at him a second and then sighed, deflating.

"Yeah," he answered. Cas looked grimly at the brothers.

"Thank you for your time." Sam said. "We might be back later." The bartender nodded.

Once again, the car ride was silent. They all settled in the motel room.

"So we are looking for a homophobic ghost." Sam said. Dean nodded, arms crossed and jaw clenched.

"How do we catch it?" Castiel asked.

"They all disappeared when their families and friends didn't know where they were." Sam pointed out. "Maybe they were all at the Blue Barrel when the ghost got them."

"Why only the closeted ones?" Dean asked, staring at the ground. Sam shrugged.

"Maybe the ghost is upset that they think they can hide it." He suggested.

"And why now?" Dean said.

"Perhaps a homophobic person died recently." Castiel suggested.

"I can start looking into recent deaths." Sam offered. "It's also possible it was someone who knew them, and one murder easily snowballed into more. Why don't you see if anyone the victims knew died recently." Both Dean and Cas mumbled their agreement and took out computers. Sam got to his own work.

"We should go tonight." Sam said. "They all died at night, so let's go to the bar and see if anything happens." Dean didn't respond, but Cas looked up and nodded.

By the evening, Sam had narrowed his search to three likely people. They were all older, two men and a woman, who had no families or were estranged from them. They had all passed away within the past six months, and all lived relatively near the Blue Barrel. Two of their houses were still vacant, though the woman's had been demolished for a new house so it was less likely that she was the cause of the deaths. Sam still wanted to go to the bar, if only to help keep people safe tonight. They all dressed into more casual clothing, planning on acting as though they were attending. Sam was curious to see if his brother would say anything, but Dean did not.

"Try to act like we're here for fun." Sam said. "Maybe, if we're lucky, the ghost will target one of us." In reality, that was not a very lucky thing to happen, but better them than some poor, unsuspecting person. Surprisingly, it was Cas who looked more uncomfortable than Dean.

The bar was much more crowded than it had been earlier, nearly packed with people. Dean was lucky to snag a small table, but then Sam suggested they go off and talk to people. Maybe they could learn more.

Sam was approached by a few men, but his flirting skills were rusty and they all wandered off. Castiel seemed to be having the same luck. Dean, however, was doing much better. Sam and Cas watched as a man, blonde and _very_ muscular, looked Dean up and down before sauntering over.

"Hey there," he said with a smirk, "haven't see you around here before." Dean gravitated towards him.

"New here." He said. "Maybe you could show me around?" Sam could practically feel the anger boiling in the angel. He rolled his eyes. Idiots. He waited for some stupid "Things are bigger in Texas" pickup line. 

"Mind if I steal you away from your friends?" The man asked instead, hardly sparing Sam and Cas a glance. Dean hesitated, then shook his head. The man gestured towards a more secluded part of the bar, and Dean followed behind. Castiel did not look happy.

"You okay, man?" Sam asked, a bit worried. The last thing they needed was another stupid fight between Dean and Cas because they were jealous and too chicken to say that they loved each other.

"Perfectly fine, Sam. Thank you." Castiel practically growled. He was not perfectly fine.

"Sure, man." Sam said with a sigh. He watched Castiel watch Dean and the blonde man flirt. The man was sort of crowding Dean by the wall, but Sam had no doubt his brother could handle himself.

"He has no respect for personal space." The angel grumbled, looking away when Dean laughed, a fake laugh but a laugh nonetheless, and glared at the crowd. Sam took pity on him.

"Don't worry, Cas." He said, clapping Cas on the shoulder. "He'll come back to you." Cas's head spun so quickly that if he weren't an angel Sam would be concerned he got whiplash.

"What?" He asked, eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it, man." Sam said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You'll understand some day." Castiel frowned, looking contemplative

"Sam," he started, glancing in Dean's direction, "you should know that Dean and I -" Cas stopped, still looking to where Dean was standing. Sam looked over too. He saw the man Dean had been with, but not Dean. Sam frown and turned fully, eyes searching the crowd for his brother. He glanced at Castiel, who now looked very worried.

"He's probably in the bathroom." Sam said. Except, the man Dean had been with was now talking to someone else. If he were trying to get into Dean's pants then he probably would have waited for Dean to return without flirting with someone else, otherwise he risked Dean seeing him and loosing interest. Unless Dean had blown him off. But then, if Dean had rejected his advance he would've come back to Cas and Sam before going to the restroom.

"Let's ask him." Sam suggested, already walking towards the man.

"Excuse me," he said, and waited for the man to look at him, "where did our friend go?"

"Hell if I know." the man shrugged. "He said he had to be somewhere, then he took off." He turned back to his conversation, unaware of Sam's and Cas's growing panic. They exchanged a glance and then headed for the entrance. Sam exited first, and he quickly looked both ways for any sight of his brother. Nothing.

"He's here somewhere." Sam said, fighting to remain calm. "Let's stay calm."

"I am calm." Cas growled. Sam shifted.

"Okay," he said, "you go that way and I'll go this way. Check every alley." Cas nodded and began walking away from the bar while Sam started in the opposite direction. He did not have to go far. A young man lay unconscious in the entrance of an alley. Sam quickly kneeled next to him and checked his pulse, letting out a small breath of relief when he felt it thrumming strongly. Sam looked further down the alley, catching sight of movement behind a dumpster. Sam drew his salt-bullet gun, which had been hidden in his jacket, and started forward. At first he didn't hear anything, then there was a wheezing laugh. Sam rushed forward and looked around the corner of the dumpster just in time to see a ghost thrust a knife into someone's body. Into Dean's body. Which was completely still.

Sam yelled and fired, shooting the ghost straight through the stomach. It dissipated instantly and Sam ran forward.

"Dean!" He shouted, placing his hands over a stab wound on Dean's stomach. "Dean!" Dean was completely unresponsive, with one eye swollen shut and his lip split. He had many marks on his face, and Sam couldn't see the rest of his body but he was sure it was covered in bruises. Sam pressed frantically against the stab wound, then realized he had three more. Fuck, this was bad. Sam pulled up Dean's shirt, revealing so many marks that were already bruising. He ripped off his jacket and began to wrap it tightly around Dean's stomach.

"Dean!" Sam shouted again, reaching a shaking hand up to check for a pulse. He felt his throat clench and tears prick his eyes when there was none. Sam pushed his fingers against Dean's skin harder and - there! Sam sagged, relief coursing through him. It was faintly and barely there but it was _there_.

"Don't worry, Dean." Sam said, trying to maneuver himself so that he pick Dean up. "I've got, Dean, I've got you!" Just as he was starting to lift Dean's body, _he's not dead yet, it's not Dean's body it's still just Dean_ , a force slammed into him. Sam went toppling into the ground, air whooshing out of him. He coughed and gasped for air, scrambling to get back up. How could he have forgotten the ghost? Sam reached for his gun, but was knocked back again. Something struck him across the back and Sam yelled out in pain, skin burning.

 _"I've been waiting a long time for this, Winchester."_ A raspy voice hissed. Sam whirled around, trying to catch sight of the ghost. He was able to retrieve his gun and he now angled himself protectively over Dean. His back ached and his arms trembled but he kept the gun up. A hit to his face, however, caught Sam off guard. His body moved with the impact and Sam shouted, shooting widely. There came a wheezing cough.

 _"You won't win this time."_ The ghost snarled. _"You won't win against me, Winchester."_ Sam shot again, in the direction of the voice. If only Cas were here he could -

Cas!

"Cas!" Sam prayed, eyes wide open and searching for the ghost. "Cas, get here _now_!" Then the angel was appearing next to Sam, wielding his angel blade and standing like the mighty warrior of the Lord he once was. He caught sight of Dean and let out a noise of alarm, dropping to Dean's side. He raised a hand to touch Dean's face, then let out a strangled sound. Somewhere the ghost chuckled.

 _"Oh, you can't heal him."_ He said mockingly. _"I was prepared for that."_ Castiel ripped at Dean sleeves and shirt before finding it, a sigil carved into Dean's hip.

"What is this?" Castiel snarled, looking around for the ghost.

 _"Call it security."_ The voice said. _"It'll block those nasty powers of yours."_ Castiel growled and took own gun out, shooting around at nothing. Sam went back to his brother. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that Dean had bled through his jacket and his skin was paling rapidly.

"We've got to get him out of here, Cas." Sam croaked. This was bad. This was so bad. Castiel paused in his random fire, and the ghost struck again. He hit Cas's hands, knocking the gun away from the angel, and then hit Sam's wrist with something and Sam felt a bone snap. He cried out. Whatever had caused the bruising was doing a hell of a good job. Castiel lashed out with his angel blade madly. The ghost chuckled again.

 _"I've waited years,"_ he said, _"years for this moment. I wanted so badly to kill you, but I was already too old to even try. I did my research. Planned for this moment. Prepared to become a ghost."_

"Why?" Castiel snapped, enraged as he took his gun again. The air grew colder.

 _"You took my grandson away from me."_ The ghost snapped, finally appearing. It ducked and reappeared when Castiel fired at it. _"He was a witch and you killed him."_

"Sounds like he got what he deserved." Sam said, trying to pick Dean up with only one hand. Dean had lost too much blood. The ghost howled and appeared directly in front of Sam, raising a cane and swinging down. Sam flinched and braced himself, but Castiel shot the ghost before the hit could land. The ghost had a cane, not a baton.

 _'His cane!'_ Sam thought.

"Cas! His cane!" Cas looked confused for a moment, and then his eyes were widening with realization. There had been a picture of one man with a cane. Sam thanked every god in existence that Cas had looked at the suspects and their addresses beforehand. The angel disappeared, and then the ghost was right in front of Sam.

 _"I've killed one Winchester, and I will kill the other!"_ He screamed. Sam fumbled to hold the gun in his non-dominant hand. He shot but missed terrible. The ghost lunged, shoving Sam away and striking him again with the cane. Then the ghost was shrieking, and Sam knew Cas had done it. He'd burnt the old man's cane. Sam was by his brother again, not caring to watch as the ghost was destroyed.

Dean's face had taken a terrible grey pallor, and his bleeding had slowed greatly. His chest did not rise.

"Fuck!" Sam swore, beginning CPR as tears began to slip down his cheeks. "Dean, no!" Then Cas was beside him and helping him lift Dean's prone form.

"I can't fly him." Cas said, voice cracking. Tears were streaming down his face too. They hoisted Dean up and got to the Impala as quickly as possible, Castiel only pausing once to heal the unconscious man. They were gone before he woke.

Sam helped Cas into the back, Dean laying across Cas's lap.

"Keep doing CPR!" Sam ordered, slamming the backdoor shut and hurrying into the front seat. He started the car and drove quickly, not caring about a single traffic law.

"Dean," Cas said brokenly between breaths, and Sam spared a glance up at the review mirror. He wished he hadn't. Cas was leaning over his brother, foreheads nearly touching, as he began o compressions. The angel's eyes were red and puffy, and with a pain in Sam's chest he realized he looked the same. God, Dean. Why did he always go alone?

"Beloved, stay with me." Cas pleaded, and if Sam wasn't so focused on driving he would stopped the car in shock, because that was not something platonic friends called one another. "Do not go where I cannot follow." Sam took a gasping breath, feeling grief clog up his airway and swarm his lungs. He came to a terrible realization. Dean and Cas had indeed known about their mutual feelings, that much was obvious by Cas's heartbreaking pleads and sobs. They were maybe together even, but they hadn't told Sam for some reason. Sam wasn't even upset about it. Because Dean was dying ~~or already dead~~ in Cas's arms and the angel was no doubt losing the love of his life.

Sam glanced up again at the review mirror, unable to stop himself. Castiel was silent now, eyes blank as he stared down at Dean. He continued his compressions, but he held such a broken look that Sam nearly swerved and crashed. It couldn't be too late. It couldn't be too late!

Sam sped to the hospital, stopping right in front of the entrance and jumping out of the car.

"Sir, you cannot park here-"

"Please!" Sam cried. "My brother is hurt!" Castiel was already bringing Dean out of the car. Nurses and doctors began shouting to one another, rushing to get Dean's body onto a gurney, and then they were taking him away. Taking Sam's brother away from him. Possibly forever. Sam felt limp.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you need to move your car." The nurse sounded truly apologetic. Sam felt himself moving, driving the car away. He parked it and walked dazedly back to the hospital. Cas had not moved. He stood still, staring at the entrance but not seeing anything.

"C'mon, Cas." Sam said, voice hoarse. They went silently into the waiting room, each dropping into a seat almost immediately. Some nurses came to tend to Sam, but Sam only allowed them to wrap his wrist. His wrist was not the problem. They waited.

"He wanted to tell you." Castiel said, after hours of silence. Sam startled and looked at him. Castiel was staring at the floor, emotionless. Dry blood stained his jacket and hands. Dean's dry blood. Sam suddenly was very conscious of the blood on his own body. He fought back the bile rising and burning in his throat.

"He wanted to tell me what?" Sam choked out. Cas took a long time to respond, and Sam thought he had checked out again.

"About us." Cas said eventually. Sam stared at him. Cas let out a ragged breath and then looked up to Sam, eyes still blank.

"He wanted to tell you that we were dating. _Are_ dating. We're dating." Sam stared back.

"Why didn't he?" He asked.

"He wanted to wait for the absolute perfect time." Castil answered. "He was scared, because of John." A bitter feeling rose up in Sam's stomach. He knew his father had been homophobic, but he had thought that Dean knew him better than to assume Sam wouldn't be okay with it. Hell, Dean had basically raised Sam. It would be crazy if he didn't accept it.

"Oh," he said quietly.

"Not because he thought you'd be upset." Cas continued, as if reading Sam's thoughts. "He knew you would be okay with it. It was just hard for him to say something like that, because you're so important to him and he didn't want to lose you. Even if, logically, he knew he would not." Cas's words warmed Sam a little, but he still felt gaping and empty. What good was it now, now that his brother was injured and quite possibly dead?

"I love him no matter what." Sam said decisively, wiping away a tear. Castiel smiled, possibly for the last time, and reached out to grasp Sam's forearm.

"He made me swear to look after you." Cas said seriously. "You won't be alone, ever." And damn, if that just didn't hurt more. That Dean would ask Cas, the love of his life, to be there for Sam should anything happened. Sam had a feeling he did that for Cas too, to make sure his angel never isolated himself.

"I'll be there for you, too." Sam promised. "But I hope it doesn't come to that." Castiel's grip loosed and he looked to the floor again.

"I pray it does not, too." He said, voice a whisper. They were quiet again.

It wasn't until hours later, when a doctor approached them.

"It's a miracle," she said blatantly, "we lost him a few times, and he's not out of the woods yet, but we're optimistic he'll survive." Sweet relief filled Sam's chest and suddenly he could breathe again.

"When can we see him?" Sam asked. The doctor smiled softly.

"Now, if you wish," she said, "though he won't be waking for several more hours." Both Sam and Cas stood, eager to see Dean. The nurse led them to Dean's room and let them inside. Dean was attached to so many tubes and wires but he was _alive_ and that was all that mattered. Sam and Cas took a seat on opposite sides of Dean, Cas reaching out to intertwine his fingers with Dean's. Sam smiled. _Finally._

It was just past dawn when Dean stirred and his eyes began to flutter open. Cas and Sam were up, having not slept at all, and leaning towards him.

"Hey," Dean rasped, "what'd I miss?" Cas sobbed and flung himself (gently) forward, wrapping his arms around Dean. Sam felt himself go limp, as if strings had been holding his body taut.

"You okay there, Sammy?" Dean asked. Sam nodded, wordless, and glanced up. Dean looked concerned for a moment, as if he hadn't just almost died, and then reached out to grasp Sam's forearm in a comforting and reassuring manner. Sam grinned weakly at him, truly relieved but still overwhelmed. Dean smiled back, then he turned to Cas, who was shaking with relief.

"I've missed you, my beloved." Castiel said softly. Dean grinned ear-to-ear, then froze and looked at Sam.

"Congrats, dude." Sam said. "Fucking finally. You guys were pissing me off with all the sexual tension." To his surprise, it was Dean who blushed and Cas who smirked, looking smug. Castiel leaned forward to kiss Dean, and Sam decided that his brother would not be dying anytime soon, and that he could leave for now. He should probably shower anyways.

"I'll be back." He promised. "Be good, you two." He started for the door, pausing when Dean called him.

"Sammy," Dean paused, then smiled unsurely, "thanks." Sam grinned back, then left to give the two lovebirds some time. They needed it.

It was days later that they returned to the bunker. Sam went to unpack, and when he came back he found Cas and Dean on the couch. Cas had an arm wrapped securely around Dean, and Dean was snuggled into Cas's side. Cas rose a challenging eyebrow when Sam entered, as if he thought Sam would do something stupid. Sam only rolled his eyes, then smartly took his phone out to snap a quick picture. Blackmail. It was Cas's turn to roll his eyes. Then he looked back at Dean with that soft and loving look and this time Sam wasn't annoyed. He was happy for them.

Yes, this was much better.


	2. Extra Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slapped together another part just 'cause I really like this fic lol  
> light angst but mostly fluff, attempt at humor (I really do try)  
> Supernatural is not mine

"So," Sam said, from where they sat at the table, "how long have you two been together?" Both Dean and Cas flushed, and Sam smirked victoriously.

"It depends on how you find 'together'." Cas said. "Do you mean since we first kissed or since we first had intercourse?"

"Cas!" Dean exclaimed as Sam choked. Dean's blushed deepened and he stared at his hands. "Buddy, you can't say stuff like that." Castiel frowned and spared a glance at him.

"It's a part of life, Dean." He said seriously. "Don't be so childish." Dean gawked at him and Sam let out a strangled laugh. A small smile crosses Cas's features.

"Right," Sam said, clearing his throat, "how long have you been together officially?" Dean, if possible, blushed more.

"Hey, Cas?" He said, voice sheepish, "do you want to be my boyfriend?" Sam let out a (very manly) squawk and stared at them incredulously. Cas grinned, looking at Dean with warm expression.

"I would love that, Dean." Cas said affectionally. He reached out to take Dean's hand. "We've been together officially for approximately 13.5 seconds, Sam."

"What the hell, Dean?" Sam said.

"It all just kind of happened." Dean replied. "Never really needed to clarify anything." Sam stared at his brother.

"Then how did you know you were on the same page?" He asked. Dean and Cas exchanged a tender look. Sam was not moved.

"I know his soul, Sam." Cas said simply. "And we said what need to be said."

"Right." Sam said.

"I love Cas, Sammy. What more do you need?" Dean said. Sam swallowed, shocked by how easily Dean has said it.

"Wow." He said. "Um, congrats, guys, really." Dean looked back at him, smiling.

"Thanks, dude." He said sincerely.

"Yeah, yeah." Sam replied. "So when did all this happen?"

"Couple of years ago." Dean answered vaguely. Sam hummed to himself. Then a horrible realization struck him.

"Holy fuck," he gasped, drawing the concerned attention of both Dean and Cas, "oh, God. All those times I thought you brought a girl back to the motel room it was _you guys_?!" Dean smirked at him.

"Yeah, Sammy." He said. "How does that make you feel?"

"What about here at the Bunker? Please tell me you've never done anything anywhere I've been." Sam looked desperately back and forth between Cas and Dean, but neither said a word. Sam groaned and jerked back from the table.

"Dean!" He practically wailed. "Where?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to, Sammy." Dean told him, sounding smug.

"Don't worry, Sam," Cas said, "we've always cleaned up after ourselves." Sam choked on his saliva.

"Cas," he grounded out, "please stop talking." Dean laughed.

"Sammy, it's part of life." He said teasingly, relishing Sam's obvious disgust.

"I'm so sorry I asked." He said, still reeling. "God, that was way too much information." Dean and Cas chuckled.

"Be careful what you wish for, dude." Dean said.

"Just, don't do anything when I'm around." Sam practically begged. "At least not in any common areas."

"Deal." Dean said.

"Can we at least kiss in front of you?" Cas asked seriously.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." Sam said. "Just nothing more." Cas grinned and shot Dean a look that Sam _did not_ appreciate.

"God, no more of that either." He said. "I thought I hated it before, but now you guys are shameless." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Sam." He said, looking at Cas. The angel smiled. Sam watched them for a moment.

"I really am glad you two are together." He said. "It took long enough. You're good for one another."

"Thank you, Sam." Cas said, meeting his eyes. Dean didn't say anything, but Sam knew that his words were appreciated. He was truly happy that Dean had Cas, and that Sam knew Dean loved him no matter what. Sam leaned back, staring out the window. He could deal with their gross love, as long as they were happy now.

* * * * *

Later, Dean and Cas were snuggled up on the couch. Sam had gone straight to bed, so they didn't have to worry about him walking in on them kissing. Dean really did intend to keep his promise about not doing things around Sam.

"I was scared." Cas admitted quietly. Dean looked up from where he was squished into Cas's side. Castiel was staring at him with a pained expression. "I don't want to lose you."

"Hey," Dean said softly, "I'm okay."

"But you almost weren't." Cas replied. "I felt you die and be revived, and I could sense your soul weakening." He reached out to cup Dean's face, stroking a finger across his cheek. "I love you so much."

"Cas, I will fight my way out of Hell if I need to." Dean said sternly. "I will not leave you." Cas smiled sadly.

"You're not going to Hell, Dean." He said.

"We don't know that." Dean shrugged. "But I promise to get back to you." Cas stared down at him.

"I promise it as well, Dean." He said gently, leaning down to kiss Dean chastely. Dean smiled as they parted.

"I hated when that man was flirting with you." Cas said suddenly. "I wanted to come over and kiss you." Dean smirked.

"Oh, yeah?" He said. "'Maybe we should go out more often, then? Since it riles you up so much to see other men flirting with me." Castiel growled and pulled Dean into a bruising and claiming kiss, nipping slightly at Dean's lips. Dean gasped into their kiss, only pulling back when his lungs burned for oxygen. Cas didn't need oxygen, the fucker.

"I am the one who pulled you from Hell, who raised you from Perdition." Cas said lowly. "You are mine, Dean Winchester." He kissed Dean again, deeply, and Dean melted against him. Cas was so hot.

"Yeah, okay." He panted. "I'm yours, Cas." Cas smiled then, and pressed his forehead against Dean's, his hand coming up to grip Dean's neck and play lightly with his hair.

"And I am yours, beloved." He breathed out. Cas pulled Dean against him and they sat, snuggled up and warm under many blankets, kissing for a while.

"God, I love you." Dean said. Castiel smiled the brightest smile.

"I love you too." He whispered back, holding Dean. Dean let out a small sigh of contentment. After all this time, he was so greatly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea of Cas and Dean disgusting Sam with their love but him still being genuinely happy for them... cute family bonding is such a weakness of mine 
> 
> let me know how y'all like it (I live for kudos and comments like actually)  
> hope y'all enjoyed it

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided that I would rather write than do work (who cares about finals ahahahah) also Sam is so done


End file.
